A walk through Eastern Iowa Airport Friday showed no shortage of decorative trees and wreaths, employees in colorful holiday sweaters and corn-on-the-cob-themed souvenirs just like any other year’s holiday travel season.
But the number of passengers passing those souvenirs locked inside a shop that’s temporarily closed during the pandemic is much different from previous holiday seasons.
At the height of the Thanksgiving rush, the Cedar Rapids airport had almost 1,500 passengers in a day. In past years, that day would have witnessed more than twice that many.
“The numbers were good compared to what we’ve been seeing,” said Marty Lenss, airport director. “But when compared to a Thanksgiving rush, the numbers were down quite a bit.”